


Soccer Fouls

by bambirosesavage



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Blood, Chwe Hansol | Vernon-centric, Fainting, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Nosebleed, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:35:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21999100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bambirosesavage/pseuds/bambirosesavage
Summary: What is supposed to be a regular dance practice ends up as a hospital visit.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 226





	Soccer Fouls

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very new to this fandom, so I'm sorry if anyone seems out of character.

Vernon watched as Seokmin chased after the soccer ball yet again. The dance studio really wasn’t the best place to be playing soccer what with all the highly breakable mirrors covering the walls, but it was just the two of them and they weren’t really playing anyway. They were just trying to see how many times they could dribble the ball in a row before they failed to catch it. As long as they were careful, it would be okay. Vernon didn’t even know whose ball it was. Seokmin had already been playing with it when Vernon showed up nearly an hour early for dance practice, but somehow he doubted it belonged to him. If it were Seokmin’s ball, Vernon thought he would have been better at dribbling it.

“Hyung, let me try. It’s my turn,” Vernon complained as Seokmin once again tried and failed to dribble the ball more than four times in a row.

“Give me a minute,” Seokmin said, chasing after the ball as it bounced away from his foot towards the speakers. “I can do this, I swear. You can have it when Soonyoung-hyung and Jeonghan-hyung come back from the vending machine.”

Vernon pouted but didn’t say anything else. He liked hanging out with all his hyungs, but Jeonghan didn’t seem all that interested in playing with the ball earlier and had a weird ability to get everyone to go along with his ideas. He wasn’t sure what they would end up doing until practice started, but Vernon was pretty sure it wouldn’t involve soccer. 

He watched the ball shoot haphazardly off Seokmin’s flailing foot, ricocheting dangerously close to the mirrors. Seokmin groaned dramatically but kept the huge smile on his face as he ran to get the ball.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, hyung?” Vernon teased.

Seokmin put his hand to his chest in mock offense, nearly dropping the ball. “Hansolie! How could you doubt me? Watch this!”

He tossed the ball up and kicked wildly. His foot made contact with the ball and sent it flying across the room, straight into Vernon’s face.

For a moment, they both froze, too shocked to do anything but stare at each other. In that moment, Vernon was too surprised to even register pain. Then the pain hit, hot and white and radiating from his nose. Vernon clutched his face with both hands and doubled over. 

“Vernie! Oh my God, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Seokmin was next to him, his hand on Vernon’s back, but Vernon ignored him. His eyes were squeezed shut so tight that tears were forming. His nose hurt so much that the rest of his face felt numb in comparison. He could feel his rapid pulse pounding in the center of his face and for a brief, ridiculous moment, he felt sure that if he let go of his nose, it would fall off.

“Let me see,” Seokmin insisted, shaking the younger boy’s arm to try to elicit some sort of response. 

Vernon shook his head and kept his eyes shut. He let go of his nose with one hand long enough to try to push the vocalist away. 

“Oh, God. It’s bleeding. You’re bleeding.”

Vernon opened his eyes at that. Neither he nor Seokmin were great with blood or gore of any kind. Seokmin hated horror movies with a passion, and Vernon could barely get a simple shot without feeling sick.

Slowly, Vernon drew his hands away from his face. They were completely coated with blood. It collected in the lines of his palms and under his nails. It ran down his arms all the way to his elbows. Blood dripped from between his fingers onto the hem of his shirt, the cuffs of his jeans, and the tops of his once white sneakers. As he watched, more blood fell from his nose and hands, the droplets splattering across the floor, thick, heavy, and so brightly, vividly red that it almost didn’t look real.

Vernon straightened up as he stared at his soaked hands. They didn’t look like hands at all anymore. He didn’t know whose they were. He could see movement out of the corner of his eye as Seokmin, pale and green, panicked. His hyung might have been speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear it over the loud, insect buzzing filling his ears and mind. Probably flies attracted to the scent of blood. Vernon thought he was going to vomit but didn’t have time to as the floor rushed up to meet him and the world went dark.

Seokmin didn’t realize what was happening until Vernon hit the ground, the back of his head smacking against the hard, wood floor. His knees gave way as he tried to make sense of the scene before him - his dongsaeng lying sprawled on the floor, unconscious, covered in blood that was still pouring from his nose, rivulets running across his cheeks into his hair and pooling in the delicate shells of his ears.

“No, Hansol, wake up,” he tried to call, but his usually loud voice came out thin and wispy.

Just then, the door swung open as Jeonghan and Soonyoung returned. Their laughter died on their lips and the bottles of water they had bought slipped through their fingers. They both ran over to the younger boys, being careful to avoid the splotches of blood on the floor around Vernon. Jeonghan gently pulled Vernon’s head onto his lap, not caring about the blood dripping onto his jeans, and pulled the bottom of Vernon’s stained shirt up to press against the boy’s nose to try to stem the bleeding. 

“What happened?” Jeonghan demanded in a calm, firm voice.

Seokmin’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice, his eyes wide as he stared up at them. “It was an accident. We were playing with the ball, and it hit his face.” His voice cracked as he started to cry. Soonyoung, standing behind him, and looking nearly as pale, massaged his neck to encourage and comfort him. “He started bleeding. When he saw it, he just fell over. I didn’t even try to catch him,” he sobbed. “I think- I think he hit his head.”

“Oh, Seokminnie,” Hoshi cooed, though he was a bit shaky with shock. “It’s okay. It was an accident.”

Meanwhile, Jeonghan gingerly ran his hand over the back of Vernon’s head. He easily found the bump. It wasn’t bleeding, but he was sure it would hurt when the kid woke up. “Soonyoung, go find Seungcheol,” he commanded, his voice as even as ever. “We need to bring him to the hospital and make sure his nose isn’t broken.” He glanced over at Seokmin, who looked quite green despite the flush his tears had created. “Take Dokyeom-ah with you.”

“No,” Seokmin protested, wiping his face against his sleeve. “This is all my fault. I can’t just leave him.”

“Okay,” Jeonghan immediately allowed. Soonyoung squeezed his shoulder and ran out the door. Seokmin stayed crouched by Jeonghan’s side and continued to cry quietly as he stared down at his friend’s lax face. As much as he wanted to comfort him, and as much as hearing him cry hurt his heart, Jeonghan had to ignore Seokmin to focus on Hansol. 

“Vernie,” he called, rubbing his thumb across the boy’s defined cheekbone. Blood smeared across Vernon’s cheek. Seokmin gagged at the sight, but the older boy didn’t react. “Hansol-ah, wake up. You’re okay. It’s just a little bit of blood.” Despite his words, Jeonghan’s own stomach turned at the sight of Vernon’s bloody hands and face. He moved the hem of the boy’s shirt away to check his nose. It was swollen and hot to the touch, but Jeonghan was no doctor and couldn’t tell if it was broken or not. 

Seokmin scrambled to his feet and ran towards the trash can in the corner as he lost the battle with his disgust. Jeonghan’s stomach flopped at the sound of vomit splashing into the trash can, but he retained control. “You okay?” he asked. 

Before Seokmin could respond, Vernon groaned. He scrunched his eyes up against the pain that slammed into him as he regained consciousness. His head was killing him. It ached from all sides. His nose in particular throbbed viciously, though the back of his head radiated pain as well. Through the ringing in his ears, he could hear someone calling his name. With great effort, he opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself sprawled on the floor, his head cradled in Jeonghan’s lap.

“Hey, Sollie,” Jeonghan smiled at him. Vernon blinked up at him. “You’re okay. I think you fainted. Are you back with us now?”

Vernon’s mind was syrupy and slow-moving as it tried to make sense of his hyung’s words. He reached up to feel his nose, but Jeonghan caught and stopped his hand.

“Hansol!” another voice cried. Seokmin’s face appeared next to Jeonghan’s, tears streaming over his cheeks. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“Give him a moment,” Jeonghan said gently, pushing Seokmin back. “He’s still waking up.”

Vernon’s brow furrowed as he tried to keep up with his hyungs’ conversation. The longer he was awake, the more his face hurt. He tried to push himself up, but Jeonghan held him down.

“Relax. Seungcheol is coming. We’ll take care of you. Just lie still for me.”

Vernon frowned but relaxed back onto the floor. The wooden floor was cold, but his body felt hot and sweaty. He felt sticky and sick. He jumped as the door slammed open. Suddenly, Soonyoung, Seungcheol, and Jihoon were bending over him, all looking pale and frantic. 

“He just woke up a couple minutes ago,” Jeonghan supplied before the others could ask any questions.

“He hasn’t said anything yet,” Seokmin moaned, utterly miserable. “Why hasn’t he said anything? I couldn’t catch him. He hit his head. What if-”

“Be quiet,” Jihoon interrupted, his voice and face hard.

“Vernon,” said Seungcheol, much calmer than the vocal leader. “Can you say something?”

Vernon, whose head was becoming clearer the longer he lay there, wanted to ask what had happened, but instead said, “I’m okay,” first in English, then after a beat, in Korean.

Seungcheol smiled down at him, at odds with Seokmin, who was still sobbing, relief mixing in with his guilt. “Good boy. Are you okay to sit up?” Even though the question was posed to Vernon, the leader looked to Jeonghan for the answer.

“Go slow,” Jeonghan advised. “Vernon,” he called, waiting for the boy to lock eyes with him. “Your nose has been bleeding, so there’s blood on your clothes and on the floor. You need to shut your eyes if it’s going to upset you, okay? And don’t say it won’t because that’s why you fainted in the first place.”

Vernon blushed but nodded and shut his eyes as he allowed his two oldest hyungs to help him up.

“You doing okay?” Seungcheol checked, rubbing Vernon’s shoulders.

“I’m alright,” he confirmed. His face still hurt like crazy, but he wasn’t dizzy and felt sure he wasn’t going to pass out again.

“I’m so sorry, Hansol,” Seokmin said again, desperation in his voice. His crying had finally calmed down though his voice was still thick with remorse.

“It’s okay,” Vernon said automatically. “It was an accident.” Truthfully, Vernon couldn’t quite remember what had happened, but he knew Seokmin would never purposefully hurt anyone. 

Vernon kept his eyes closed and let his hyungs manhandle him as they got him cleaned up and ready to go to the hospital. Jeonghan stripped Vernon’s ruined shirt off and gave it to Soonyoung, who wet a clean portion of it with his water bottle and began to wipe the blood off the boy’s hands. Seungcheol took off his own sweater and gave it to him, leaving the leader in his undershirt. Now that Vernon was awake and talking, Seokmin finally calmed down enough to stop crying and help Jihoon clean up the bloody floor and take out the vomit-filled trash can. 

Soonyoung tried to be gentle as he cleaned the blood off Vernon’s face, but the boy’s nose ached so much that his whole face was tender to the touch, and he hissed as the dance leader worked at a particularly stubborn fleck of dried blood.

“Sorry, sorry,” Soonyoung apologized. “I’ll stop. At least your hands are clean now.”

“You can open your eyes now if you want,” Seungcheol said.

Vernon did so slowly, his eyes feeling puffy and sore now. He immediately looked down at his hands. There was still dried blood under his fingernails. He took a deep, steadying breath and looked at the anxious faces of his older friends. “I’m okay.”

Seungcheol checked his phone briefly. “The manager is waiting for us in the car. Jeonghannie, can you help him get on my back? I’ll carry him.”

“I can walk,” Vernon protested as Jeonghan pulled him up by his armpits, the other members hovering around him, ready to catch him if he fainted again.

“I know. Just let me do this,” Seungcheol insisted. “You don’t have to be so independent all the time. Be the baby for once.”

Vernon leaned his cheek against the back of the leader’s shoulder as Seungcheol hiked him up securely onto his back. He was the peacemaker of the group and one of the shyest and quietest members. He minded his own business and tried not to cause any trouble, and it was unusual but oddly nice to have so many people he cared about fussing over him. 

The trip downstairs to the car was a short one, and Vernon soon found himself being settled into the backseat of their manager’s car. Instead of taking his usual spot up front, Seungcheol slid into the back after him and patted his lap, silently instructing him to lie down and rest his head on the leader’s thigh. Vernon did so, feeling an awkward flush warm his cheeks as Seungcheol stroked the short hair above his ear. The leader and the manager talked on the way to the hospital, but Vernon didn’t pay them much attention. Every once in awhile, one of them would ask him if he was still doing okay or reassure him that they were almost there, but for the most part, Vernon tuned them out. The quiet reassurance of Seungcheol and his manager combined with the soft vibration of the moving car lulled him into a sort of trance. His head still hurt and his nose and eyes were swelling uncomfortably, but exhaustion washed over him as the trauma of his accident caught up with him. Seungcheol had to call him twice before he surfaced enough to realize they had reached their destination.

With his manager’s help, Vernon slowly clambered out of the car, swaying slightly on his feet.

“Are you dizzy?” the manager asked as he steadied the boy.

Vernon grunted and shook his head. “Sleepy.”

“We won’t be here long,” Seungcheol said, holding Vernon by his upper arm as the manager did the same on the other side to help him through the hospital’s double doors. “You can sleep when you get home, all right?”

They were not as quick as Seungcheol claimed they would be. A nurse escorted them to an examination room and recorded Vernon’s height, weight, temperature, and blood pressure on his chart for the doctor, who came in a few moments later to examine the bump on the boy’s head and look into his eyes for signs of a concussion and into his nose for signs of a break. The nurse then brought them to another room where a couple of technicians took an X-ray of his face. They then had to wait until the image was processed to confirm the doctor’s assumption that Vernon’s nose was, thankfully, not broken after all, just bruised.The doctor advised him to rest for the remainder of the day and to avoid strenuous activity for the next three days while the bruising on his face and head healed. Even after receiving his diagnosis, Vernon had to wait for his prescription of pain medicine to be filled before he was finally brought home. By the time the leader unlocked the door to their dorm and instructed him to take his shoes off, Vernon was sagging against him, too tired to hold himself up properly.

“Okay,” grunted Seungcheol as he adjusted his hold on Vernon’s slender waist. “Let’s take one of your pain pills and get you into bed. When everyone gets back home, I’ll make sure Mingyu cooks you something tasty. How does that sound?”

Vernon made a quiet noise of agreement, too dazed for anything else.

“Come on then.” Seungcheol half dragged, half carried Vernon into the dorm. 

Vernon tried to help, stumbling along beside him, but he was too tired to do much. He whined when Seungcheol suddenly jerked to a stop in the living room. 

“Seokminnie, what are you doing home?” 

Vernon peered through half-mast eyes at the long sofa where his usually bubbly hyung sat morose with a carton of ice cream open in his lap. “Hoshi-hyung sent me home. Said I was too shaken up to be at practice. Did I break your nose?” 

He was asking Vernon, but Seungcheol answered for him. “Nothing’s broken. No concussion either. Just some bruising. He’ll be just fine in a couple of days. Here, can you take him? He’s a bit out of it right now, and I need to get his medicine ready.” 

The leader settled him next to Seokmin on the couch without waiting for the other boy to answer. Vernon groaned and leaned his head back into the plush cushion behind him. Seokmin eyed him warily.

“Why is he so spaced out? I thought you said he didn’t have a concussion.”

“He doesn’t. I think he’s just tired,” Seungcheol said, already moving to the kitchen and returning a few seconds later with a glass of water. “Here, Vernie. You get one now and one in four hours, okay?” He placed the large white pill on Vernon’s tongue and watched as he swallowed it. “Would you mind giving him his second dose if we’re not home by then?” he asked Seokmin.

“Yeah, okay.”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to change really quick then I’ll get him into bed. You could probably use a nap, too. I know this has been really stressful for you as well.”

Seokmin shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Seungcheol scrutinized him for a second before nodding. “I’ll be right back.” He patted Vernon’s shoulder before disappearing down the hall.

Vernon rolled his head over to look at Seokmin then at the ice cream melting in his lap. “Ice cream.”

“Yeah,” said Seokmin. “I think it’s Seungkwan’s. I don’t think he’ll mind if I have some. I can get him some more if he does. I just wanted some comfort food, and ramyeon felt like too much work.”

Vernon nodded, only half-listening. “Right.” He continued to stare at the carton.

Seokmin felt the corners of his mouth quirk up. “Do you want a bite?”

“Yeah.”

Seokmin scooped up a spoonful of the runny vanilla ice cream and fed it to him. 

Vernon closed his eyes and smiled. “It’s good.” Ice cream dripped down his chin, and Seokmin wiped it away. 

“Hansol, I really am sorry about hitting you in the face like that. I didn’t mean to.”

“You said that already, hyung,” Vernon said, his eyes still closed. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“So are we okay?” Seokmin asked.

Vernon leaned over and rested his head on Seokmin’s wide shoulder. “Yeah, of course we are.”

When Seungcheol returned a few minutes later, most of the ice cream was gone and Vernon was softly snoring through his swollen nose. He grinned as he draped a blanket over both of his dongsaengs. “Are you good?” he whispered to Seokmin.

Seokmin smiled. “We’re good.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I've been gone so long! I'm working on my master's degree right now, so I don't have much time to write. I am still working on several different fics, but I don't know when they will be finished. 
> 
> Like I said, I'm new to Seventeen, so let me know if I make any mistakes regarding their characterization. I noticed that there weren't very many platonic fics for this fandom and even fewer Vernon-centric fics, which is a real shame since he's such a sweetie. Let me know if you like it or have any requests for future fics. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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